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Oak Spring Trail – Big Bend National Park, Texas
Copyright © 2011 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II set on aperture (Av) priority using an EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens tripod mounted. The exposure was taken at 23mm, f/14 for 1/50th of a second at ISO 100 using a Singh-Ray warming polarizer filter. Post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 3.
Click on the image above for a larger version.
Oak Spring lies right below the Window, Big Bend‘s best known landmark. The high, rock slopes of Vernon Bailey Peak and Carter Peak guard this beautiful spring like two soldiers standing at attention. The trail head lies about 1-1/2 miles from the Sam Nail Ranch parking lot along a rough two-track dirt road. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended but unless you drive this after a heavy rain, any good two-wheel drive car can make it.
Most times of the year, Oak Spring is the only open water for miles and miles along the western slope of the Chisos Mountains and hikers will often encounter wildlife during their short hike and climb to the spring. Hiker’s will often overlook the short stretch of unimproved park road just north of the trail which leads higher in the surrounding hills. As you can see, the view of the Window from the approach is nothing less than spectacular!
Oak Spring Trail – Big Bend National Park, Texas
Copyright © 2011 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II set on aperture (Av) priority using an EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens tripod mounted. The exposure was taken at 26mm, f/14 for 1/40th of a second at ISO 100 using a Singh-Ray warming polarizer filter. Post capture processing was done in Adobe’s Lightroom 3 and Adobe Photoshop CS5.
Click on the image above for a larger version.
Texas Landscape Photography 